Destiny
by VampFan2442
Summary: What if Elena remembered Damon's confession of love? How would she handle the information? And which brother will she end up with?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! This story takes place right after Damon told Elena about his feelings and then compelled her to forget. It's what I wish would have happened! The first chapter is a short one. Just want to see if everyone likes it or not. I already have about 6 more chapters ready to go so if you're interested in it, please let me know and I will keep going!**

**I don't own Vampire Diaries…but I wish I did!**

CHAPTER 1

After Damon left, I stood there staring out the window after him. He thought he had compelled me to forget. Little did he know that I was wearing a vervain bracelet as well. After the run-in with Elijah, I was determined not to let another vampire compel me. But back to the matter at hand. Damon loves me. Not just loves me, but is _in love _with me. And that kiss. Wow. That is all I can say to describe it. It was the most heartfelt, loving, passionate kiss all wrapped into one. And what is this feeling that I am having? It's almost like elation, like I am happy to know how he feels. I shouldn't feel this way. I am supposed to hate Damon, not be swooning over a kiss from him. But really, that kiss was just...wow.

Twenty minutes later I was still sitting on my bed, staring out the window, repeating Damon's words over and over in my head. All of a sudden the curtains ruffled and I felt a cool breeze. I thought it was going to be Damon coming back to see me, but it was Stefan standing in front of me. For a brief moment I felt disappointed that is was Stefan standing there instead of Damon. What is the matter with me? Just because Damon said he loves me does not change the way I feel about Stefan. I should be happy that he is here.

I let out a deep sign and tried my best to hide my disappointment. "What are you doing here Stefan?"

"I had to see you, Elena. I hate the way we left things. I love you. I will do anything I can to protect you, but I can't do that if we aren't together. I can't even imagine my life without you in it. I need you Elena!"

I stood there silent for a few moments trying to decide what to say. Even though it was breaking my heart, I knew we couldn't be together. "I'm sorry Stefan. I just can't be with you anymore. I can't help but feel like this is all my fault. Bonnie and I hardly speak anymore. Jeremy hates me. Caroline is a vampire and now her and Matt's relationship is over. Katherine is here wreaking havoc on everyone I know and love. If I'm not with you then maybe she will stop trying to ruin everything in my life. I can't live like this. Going from one day to the next just waiting to see what horrible thing will happen next."

"None of this is your fault Elena. It's mine. I am the one that brought all of this on you. If I had never come here, you would not even know about this world. I'm so sorry Elena. Just know that if you ever need anything, you can call me. I will be here for you always. I love you."

Tears began to well up in Stefan's eyes and it tore me apart inside to watch that and not be able to say everything is going to be okay. I couldn't even say I love him back. I don't know what's wrong with me. I have always loved Stefan, but I just couldn't get the words out. They didn't sound true anymore. "Goodbye Stefan."

And just like that he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

CHAPTER 2

Two weeks. It has been two weeks since Stefan left my bedroom. Two weeks since I have seen his face. Two weeks since Damon told me he loved me and then compelled me to forget. I haven't seen him since that night either. And for those two weeks, I felt like my heart was being split in two. One minute all I could think of was Stefan and the love we had shared and how safe I felt in his arms. The next minute I was thinking about Damon's confession and all of the feelings it has stirred up inside of me. Before that night I thought I hated Damon. There was a time when I was starting to grow feelings for him, but then he snapped Jeremy's neck and sent us right back to the beginning of our relationship, when I knew he didn't have any redeeming qualities at all. But now, all I can think about is how he must feel. Spending 150 years in love with a woman, believing that she loved you back, doing everything in your power to save her even if that means hurting others along the way. To find out after all that time that she never loved you, that she always wanted your brother, must be excruciating. And then he came here, asking me to tell him how I feel. I knew then that I had stronger feelings than friendship for Damon, but I wouldn't admit it. I couldn't even admit it to myself at the time, how was I supposed to tell him? He was so hurt and angry and for me to basically repeat the same words to him that Katherine had just used sent him over the edge. I'm not saying I forgive him for what he did to Jeremy, but I also can't say that I don't kind of understand.

"Ahhhh!" I yelled out loud, trying to release some of the frustration I was feeling. I have to do something. I can't sit here thinking about this for another minute. I decided I would call Bonnie and invite her to dinner at the Grill.

"Hello?"

"Bonnie, its Elena. Are you busy?"

"No. Why, what do you need?"

"Ouch Bon, that hurt! I don't only call you because I need something"

"I'm sorry Elena. It just feels like we have grown apart so much over the last few months and the only times we actually talk is when you need my powers."

"Oh Bonnie, I'm sorry for making you feel that way. I miss you so much. Do you want to go to the Grill and catch up?"

"That would be great. I'll meet you there in 30 minutes!"

"Okay, see you then!"

Now what am I going to do for 30 minutes while I wait for her to get ready? I guess I could just head to the Grill. I'm sure Matt is working so we can chat and catch up as well. I have really been neglecting my friends lately. That stops now. I am going to do better no matter what it takes!

I arrived at the Grill about ten minutes later. When I walked in I saw Tyler and Matt playing pool so I walked over to talk to them. I was a little weary around Tyler, knowing about his newly earned werewolf status, but I tried to ignore it and just be normal. Matt was happy to see me, maybe a little too happy in fact, so we struck up an easy conversation about school and what has been going on in each of our lives. A few minutes into our conversation I glanced towards the bar and my eyes instantly locked with Damon's. It was like I was in a trance, I couldn't look away. And Damon continued to stare back at me as well. I instantly knew he was thinking about that night. The night he poured out his soul and told me everything he felt. I almost felt guilty for remembering it because I know he never intended for that to happen. I'm not sure what he saw when he looked into my eyes. At first he looked surprised to see me, but then I could see the sadness in his eyes. As we stared at each other, I subconsciously reached up and touched my fingers to my lips. When I did this a look of confusion spread over Damon's face. At the same time, Matt noticed I wasn't looking at him and followed my gaze to see what I was staring at.

"I should have known we wouldn't get too much time alone before one of the Salvatore's showed up. If you want to go talk to him, you can. It's better than ignoring me while you stare at him." Matt said in a very bitter tone. I instantly felt awful.

"No Matt, I don't want to talk to him. I'm glad to have this time to catch up with you and Tyler. It feels like we've all grown apart so much over the last year. Bonnie will be here soon. We can have a pool tournament, like old times! Me and Bonnie versus you and Tyler. You guys better watch out, you are going down!" I gave him my biggest smile and hoped he would forget the incident with Damon. My plan seemed to work because he was instantly in a better mood. Bonnie showed up a few minutes later and we started our tournament. We had a great time, laughing and trash talking like we used to. Bonnie and I both really needed this so it was a great break from the horror of our real lives.

Throughout the evening I kept stealing glances at Damon, but he never looked my way again. That fact really shouldn't bother me, but I couldn't stop the feeling of disappointment I got from him not paying attention to me. _What is going on with me? I do not have feelings for Damon. He isn't even my friend anymore. _As much as I kept telling myself that, I was beginning to believe it less and less.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a quick note: The italics are a dream and the bold is a diary entry.**

**I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

CHAPTER 3

I got home around 11 that night and went straight to bed. I was exhausted and fell asleep instantly. As soon as I drifted off, I began to have a very vivid dream.

_It was summer and there was a warm breeze in the air. I was probably 10 years older and was wearing a sundress, running through a field of wildflowers. I was chasing a little girl. She was laughing and saying 'You can't catch me!" over and over. I finally caught up to her and I scooped her up into my arms and said "I got you Lexie!" and started tickling her. The sound of her laugh filled the air and it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. Then I heard another voice holler out to us saying "What are my two favorite girls up to today?" I turned and saw Damon, also looking about ten years older. I put the little girl, Lexie, down and she ran to Damon. He scooped her up, gave her a huge hug, and said "Guess who I love more than anybody else in the world?" and Lexie answered "Me and mommy!" with a big smile on her face. Then Damon kissed her on the cheek and turned towards me. "How is the love of my life feeling today?" As he said this he placed his hand on my stomach. It was then that I noticed the bulge. I told him I was feeling great and placed my hand on top of his. In this moment, I felt like my heart was going to burst with happiness. I felt like I was on top of the world and no one could ever take that feeling away. Damon leaned in to kiss me and..._

I woke up with a jolt and sat straight up in bed. Where did that dream come from? And why did it have to end right before Damon kissed me? I knew I was never going to get back to sleep so I decided to grab my diary and try to make sense of some of the feelings I had been having recently.

**Dear Diary,**

**I don't know what is going on with me lately. Stefan and I broke up. I just couldn't deal with it anymore. I feel like ever since we started dating, all these horrible things have happened and I just feel so guilty about it. Plus, we don't have fun together. Everything about our relationship is drama, either that or something straight out of a horror movie. It seems like the only fun I have had since I met Stefan have been the times I have spent with Damon. **

**Damon. He is really the source of all of my confusion. He came to my room a few weeks ago and told me that he's in love with me. He was so genuine and heartfelt. It was hard to believe it was actually Damon standing there, pouring out his soul to me. Then he kissed me. It was the most amazing kiss I have ever experienced. EVER. I feel so guilty saying it, but it put all of Stefan's kisses to shame. Damon pulled off my necklace and tried to compel me to forget afterwards, but he didn't know that I had a vervain bracelet on so I remember it all. And I can't stop thinking about it. It's all I think about day and night. And now even in my dreams, apparently. **

**I had a dream of Damon and I with a daughter and another baby on the way. We were so happy and in love, and ten years older than we are now. I have no idea why I dreamt that when I know it isn't possible. But I can't help but wonder if maybe it is. If humans can be turned into vampires, surely there is a way to turn vampires into humans...I'll have to ask Bonnie about that one. Not that it matters anyway, Damon would never willingly give up being a vampire. So why am I even thinking about this? And why am I imagining it with Damon and not Stefan? I can't even blame it on my subconscious mind like I can with the dream. I am wide awake and I'm still thinking about it with Damon. And feeling sadness at the fact that it will never be a reality. How did this happen? How did I go from being hopelessly in love with Stefan and thinking that we would be together forever to completely forgetting about him and constantly thinking about his brother? Oh. My. God. I've turned into Katherine. I'm just like her. Loving both brothers, turning them against one another over their love for me. What have I become?**

I awoke the next morning to a noise at my window. I looked over and saw Damon sitting in the tree knocking. I motioned for him to come in and then I laid back down. I was so nervous to see him, I didn't know what to do or say. I could feel my heartbeat increase and my face blush. This is new. "Since when do you knock?"

"Well, I wasn't sure if we were back to the point in our relationship where I'm allowed to just come in when I please" he said in a somewhat sad tone.

I looked at him and instantly sat up in bed. He looked horrible. Skinny and pale, much more pale than I had ever seen him. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days. "Damon, what is wrong with you?" I asked with my voice full of concern.

Damon looked at me and our eyes locked, just like the day at the Grill. We were both silent, searching for answers from one another. He didn't speak so I finally reached out and touched his face. "Damon, please talk to me. You look like you haven't eaten in days. What is going on?"

"I'm having a hard time with being selfless." He let out a dry laugh and looked down at the bed. My emotions were running wild. I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I didn't know if I should tell him I remember or not. I decided to just play dumb.

"What are you talking about? Since when does Damon Salvatore care about being selfless?" With that I gave him a playful nudge, trying to lighten the mood a little.

This seemed to snap Damon out of his funk a little. "You're right, I don't." The sadness I saw moments before seemed to vanish before my eyes and Damon instantly switched back to his normal, snarky self. "So, since you allowed me back into your bedroom does this mean you are done hating me for killing your brother?"

And we're back to normal. I let out a deep sigh, frustrated to see Damon acting this way. "I never hated you Damon, but I'm still mad at you. And I don't trust you anymore. If you want us to be okay, you need to make things okay with Jeremy first."

This seemed to catch Damon off guard. He wasn't big on atoning for his sins and I could tell he was not happy about this stipulation. He was silent for a minute, apparently pondering what to say or do next. He finally spoke up and said "Wouldn't it be easier to just compel you both to forget?"

There he goes again, wanting to take the easy way out. How did I ever think he could be different? "You should go Damon. And if you try to compel either one of us, I will _never_ forgive you."

With that I turned and walked out of my bedroom, slamming the door behind me to prove my point.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

Chapter 4

I didn't see Damon again for a few days. When the weekend rolled around, I was missing both Salvatore brothers a lot. I decided to stop by the boarding house after school. I walked up to the door and knocked but no one answered. I could hear loud noises inside the house. It actually sounded like there was some sort of altercation taking place. I instantly went into panic mode, assuming there was another life or death situation going on. Those were becoming far too routine. I slowly opened the door and crept inside trying to be as quiet as possible. As I was about to step into the living room, I heard Jeremy's voice yell out "Die bloodsucker!" Upon hearing this I ran the rest of the way into the room thinking he was about to kill Damon. What I saw was completely unexpected.

Sitting in the living room, playing some sort of video game, was Jeremy and Damon. They high fived each other and turned back to their game. At this point Damon must have realized I was there. He grabbed the remote and muted the video game.

"Hey Elena. Me and my buddy Jeremy are playing a little Vampire Hunter on the Playstation. Care to join us?" Jeremy turned around, surprised to see me standing there.

"What is going on? You guys are playing video games together? And since when is Jeremy your 'buddy'"? I asked, making air quotes when I said buddy. Then it dawned on me what must have happened and I was furious. "I swear Damon, if you compelled him I will stake you myself!"

Jeremy rolled his eyes and told me to calm down. "He didn't compel me Elena. He apologized and explained what happened. It was just a misunderstanding. Everything's cool now." He said with a shrug.

Everything's cool? Is Jeremy crazy? How can he just forgive Damon for killing him because he apologized?

"Are you serious Jeremy? Just like that, everything is okay?" I was in shock.

"Yep. I'm still alive thanks to Uncle John's ring, so no harm done." With that Jeremy turned his attention back to the video game, grabbed the remote and unmuted the volume. As he went back into game mode, Damon motioned for me to follow him to the other room.

"What's going on Damon? Did you compel him? I'm serious, I will never forgive you if you did." I was still having a hard time believing that Jeremy was just cool with Damon now.

"I didn't compel him Elena. Scout's honor." He held up two fingers and then saluted me with a big grin on his face. "I told him I was sorry, he accepted, then I asked if he wanted to play some Vampire Hunter with me."

"Vampire Hunter, how fitting." I said in a sarcastic tone. Damon chuckled and then poured himself a drink.

"You want one?" He asked as he held the glass up towards me. I shook my head no, still glaring at him and wondering whether or not he was telling the truth. "Suit yourself. And let me know when _fun_ Elena decides to return."

That just pissed me off further. I turned to walk out of the room when all of a sudden Damon was standing in front of me. All traces of sarcasm and snarkiness gone for the moment. "Look, don't go. I'm serious, I apologized to Jeremy. You said I had to fix it, so I did." Then he got the playful look back in his eyes. "Now can we go back to being friends? You, me, and Jeremy can hang out. We'll be just like the Three Musketeers. Maybe people will even call us that!"

I still was torn up about whether or not I could believe Damon, but he seemed to be telling the truth. I finally decided that if Jeremy could forgive him and move on, then I should too. "Fine. But it's my turn to take out some Vampire's in that video game." I turned and ran back to the living room, grabbing Damon's discarded game controller.

The three of us played the game for hours, laughing and talking trash to one another. It was the most carefree, fun time I had had in quite awhile. And it was so nice to see Jeremy laughing again. It reminded me of times we spent together before our parents died. Finally it was getting late so Jeremy and I were getting ready to leave for the night. Just as we were shutting the game down we heard a crash from the other room. Damon instantly took a protective stance in front of us as Katherine came walking into the room.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a cute little picture. Didn't you just kill this boy a few weeks ago Damon? And look at you now, protecting him like you really care about his life."

I would never get used to seeing Katherine. It was literally like looking into a mirror. Other than her curly hair, we were identical. It was really disturbing.

I looked at Damon and it clear he was seething with hatred for her. "To what do we owe this pleasure Katherine?"

"I'm here to see Stefan. I've been informed that he wisened up and ended things with my little doppelganger over there, so I've come to reunite with him." Katherine had a big smile on her face when she said this but it quickly disappeared as Damon replied.

"Stefan didn't end things with Elena. _She_ ended things with him. He is as in love with her as he's always been and still wants nothing to do with you, you crazy bitch!"

As soon as the words left his mouth all hell broke loose. Katherine slammed him into the wall across the room. He fought back and in a flurry of movement all the furniture in the room seemed to be demolished. I decided that Jeremy and I needed to get out of there, so I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. Katherine wasn't about to let us leave so easily though. She quickly broke a leg off the closest chair, shoved the wooden stake into Damon's chest and threw him across the room. I let out a scream and froze in place. As I saw Damon fall to the floor, it was like my whole world flashed before my eyes. In that moment, I knew how I felt about him. I knew that I would be devastated if anything happened to him. I changed my direction and ran towards him. Dropping Jeremy's hand in the process. Katherine zipped over to block my path. She looked me square in the eyes and spoke in that menacing tone she was so good at.

"Tell Stefan I want to see him and make sure he is aware that I _don't_ take kindly to rejection. He'll know where to find me."

With that, she was gone. I ran over to Damon and pulled the stake out of his chest. I was freaking out, thinking he was going to die so I was shocked when he squeezed my hand and told me he was fine. I looked to his chest and noticed the hole was already beginning to heal.

"H-how is that possible? I saw her plunge it into your heart!" I was still frantic, feeling around on his chest to be sure he was really healing.

"She missed the heart. She didn't want to kill me. Yet. If she did she would have succeeded." The way he spoke, with such conviction in his voice, sent chills down my spine. "I need to call Stefan. We are going to take that bitch out once and for all."

Damon called Stefan and told him what had happened. They decided we needed outside help, so I called Alaric, Bonnie, and Caroline and asked them to all meet at the boarding house tomorrow morning so that we could come up with a plan. Apparently Stefan was not nearby because he said the soonest he could be there would be 10:00 am.

After everything calmed down, Damon decided to come home with me and Jeremy that night. We were all on high alert now and didn't know if Katherine would show up during the night. Jenna was still awake when we arrived home so Damon went in through my window so that she wouldn't know he was there. Jeremy and I spent some time with her and then we all decided to head off to bed for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

Chapter 5

As I entered my room, I found Damon sprawled out on my bed. He had taken off his shoes and shirt, so he was laying there in just his jeans with his hands folded behind his head. I instantly felt a rush of excitement at seeing him like that, in my bed. His chest and abs were perfectly sculpted and the V at his hips was breathtaking. I looked at him a few seconds too long, causing him to take notice as a smirk covered his face.

"Like what you see Elena?"

I quickly regained my composure and turned away from him. I was so confused on how to act. When I thought he was dying earlier, I was so scared. I knew in that moment that I had to tell him I remember his confession and that I feel the same way. I can't go on letting him think he is always the second choice. I may have loved Stefan first, but that is only because I met Damon second. Damon is the one who occupies all my thoughts, all the time. Not Stefan. Damon is not a second choice to me. He is my first choice. My only choice.

I didn't have the slightest clue on how to start. Then it hit me. I rushed to my dresser and pulled out my diary. I turned back towards Damon and we locked eyes. I could tell he was confused on what I was doing. He had been making a joke before so he had no idea why I was acting so serious. I opened up my diary to the entry I wrote about him and then handed it to him. He looked at it then back and me waiting for some sort of explanation.

"Please Damon, just read it." I knew I wouldn't be able to get everything out that I wanted to say. The best way was for him to read it, to know exactly how I was feeling about him. He nodded slightly and looked down at the page.

I was so nervous not knowing how he was going to react. I saw his face light up as he read. As soon as he finished reading he looked up at me, pleading with his eyes for me to say something, anything, to let him know this was real.

"I love you Damon. Not Stefan. You. I may have loved Stefan first, but it wasn't the same. I didn't know that until now. I am _in love_ with you Damon. _Only_ you."

The minute I finished talking Damon grabbed me in his arms and spun me around in a circle. Then he sat me down, looked into my eyes for the briefest moment, almost as if he was giving me the chance to change my mind, and then he kissed me. This kiss was even more amazing than the last. The kiss was so passionate and full of love. I knew in this moment that Damon loved me more than he had ever loved anyone else in this world.

All too soon Damon broke the kiss. He looked me in the eyes and said the one thing that I needed to hear over all others. "You are _nothing_ like Katherine! She is a manipulative, evil person. You are the most kind, caring person I have ever met. Stefan will be hurt when he hears about this, but at least you made a choice. Katherine never did. Well, apparently she has now, but she never did when it actually mattered."

CHAPTER 8

Damon ended up staying with me that night. We kissed and talked and held each other until the late hours of the night. It was so surreal being with Damon like this. He had opened up to me so much in the past, but nothing compared to this. He finally dropped all of his walls and showed me the _real _Damon. At some point I finally drifted off to sleep. When I woke, I was heartbroken to see that Damon was not beside me. I started second guessing last night, wondering if it was all a dream. Then I looked over and saw a rose on my pillow with a note attached. _Come to the kitchen when you wake. I'm making breakfast. Love, D. _It was such a simple note, but it made my heart swell. It was all real. Damon was in my kitchen cooking me breakfast, and he loved me. That thought alone was enough to put a huge smile on my face. I took the flower and placed it on my dresser and then put the note inside of my diary, marking the page where I wrote the entry about Damon.

I got out of bed and decided to make myself look a little more presentable. I went into the bathroom and brushed my hair, washed my face, and then put on some clean clothes. As I was walking back into my room, my breath caught when I walked right into Stefan.

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" I asked with alarm. I didn't think I would be seeing Stefan until 10 at the boarding house.

"I needed to talk to you alone. I miss you so much Elena. I can't be without you. I will do whatever it takes to keep you and all your friends and family safe, but I need us to be together." He sounded so upset. It broke my heart to know that this is nothing compared to how he will feel when he finds out about me and Damon. I decided it would be better to tell him right now, break the news and hope that he handles it okay.

"Stefan, there is something I have to tell you..." As soon as the words left my mouth, there was a knock on my bedroom door. I opened it to see Damon standing there.

"Elena, breakfast is ready. Jeremy and Jenna are both waiting for you before they eat. Oh, hey Stefan. I didn't know you were here. You're welcome to join too if you want, but there are no bunnies on the menu this morning." With that, Damon gave one of his trademark smirks and headed back downstairs.

"What is Damon doing here?" Stefan was not happy about this revelation. It was obvious that Damon did not want me to tell Stefan about us yet, so I decided to play along.

"We were all worried about Katherine last night, so he decided to stay here in case she decided to show up." I was such a terrible liar, but that was at least partially true. I was sure Stefan was going to see right through me but apparently he bought it.

"Is it okay if I stay? I miss you so much and just want to spend some time with you."

I couldn't say no to him, knowing that I was allowing Damon to stay and not him. Until I tell him about us, he wouldn't understand that at all. "Yes, that's fine. Let's go." I walked past him and headed toward the stairs. He came up beside me and tried to grab my hand in his. I looked at him and shook my head, giving him an apologetic look. I hated hurting him, but letting him do that would just give him false hope.

Breakfast went much better than I had expected. Damon and Stefan were both very civil towards each other. I would actually say it was borderline friendly. They even laughed and cracked a few jokes. After breakfast Damon said he had to go and headed out right away. Before he left he gave me a look letting me know he'd be back as soon as he could. Stefan tried to talk to me again, but I told him that I had things I had to do and that I would see him at the Boarding House in about an hour. This seemed to appease him and he left.

"Well, that was an interesting morning." Jeremy said with a grin.

I walked to the couch where he was sitting and plopped down next to him. "It's so complicated Jer. I'm not sure how you are going to feel about this, but there's something I need to tell you." I proceeded to tell Jeremy about last night with Damon, obviously leaving out some of the more steamy parts. I was so scared that Jeremy would be angry at me for falling for the man who tried to kill him, but I was very surprised when he had a completely different reaction.

"It's okay Elena. I'm not mad at you. I have seen the way you have been over the last few months. I knew something must have happened because you have been so down lately. But yesterday at the boarding house and this morning, you were like your old self again. And I don't mean your old self from when you were dating Stefan. I mean your old self from before the accident. When you were carefree and just living your life to the fullest. If Damon brings that out of you, that's all that matters. And like I said yesterday, Damon explained everything to me and I forgave him. I know he wants to come across to everyone as this bad ass vampire, but he's really not so bad. I just want to see you happy Elena. And when you were with Stefan, even though he is a great guy and obviously genuinely loves you, you weren't completely happy." Jeremy leaned over and pulled me into a hug. It was the closest we have been since before he tried to kill himself. I started crying and telling him over and over how much I loved him and that I would never keep anything from him again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: The bold print indicates text messages. **

**I don't own TVD.**

CHAPTER 6

I hadn't heard from Damon since he left after breakfast. I was going to need to head to the boarding house soon, but I wanted to talk to Damon first so that I could figure out what to do about Stefan.

** _Is everything okay with Stefan? –E _**

It was only a few minutes before I received a reply back.

_**No. I think he suspects something and is trying to keep me occupied so that I stay away from you. We haven't done this much 'bonding' since we were human! –D **_

That text instantly made me feel better. My girly insecurities were making me worry that Damon was having second thoughts about us.

_**You're sneaky, you can get away somehow! I need to talk to you before I see Stefan again. And I miss you! :-( –E **_

A few seconds later a new message popped up.

_**Those were the magic words. Be there in 5. –D **_

Damon wasn't kidding when he said five minutes. It was more like four minutes and he was suddenly in my room with his arms around me which made me jump in alarm.

"You scared me! I guess this means you are past the point of knocking now?" I said with a big grin on my face.

"Well Elena, I figured the hour long make out session last night was basically an invitation to enter as I please, but if you would like I can go back out and knock." He said with mock hurt in his voice.

"Don't even think about it!" I said and then started kissing him. It didn't last long because I knew we had to discuss this morning and the situation with Stefan.

"So, I was going to tell Stefan about us this morning. I'm guessing you knew that, which is why you decided to interrupt. Do you not want me to tell him? I thought you would be excited to rub it in his face or something." I was genuinely confused on why he stopped me from telling Stefan.

"Trust me, I would love nothing more than to gloat to my broody little brother about you being mine. But with Katherine in town, and us not knowing exactly what she's up to, I just don't think it's a good idea. We need Stefan to be on our side so that we can all work together to get rid of her once and for all. If Stefan finds out about us, I don't see that going so well."

"You're right. I hadn't thought about it that way. I just feel so guilty not telling him. Especially when he was here to plead with me to take him back. After you left and we headed downstairs, he tried to grab my hand and hold it as we walked down the stairs. I felt horrible rejecting him without any explanation." I really did understand Damon's point, but I couldn't help but feel bad for Stefan. I may not be in love with him, but I did still love him and care about his feelings.

"I know it will be hard, but hopefully we can get a plan and take her out soon and then we can tell him about us."

"So in the meantime, we have to act like friends around Stefan, and nothing more?" I asked with a pout on my face.

Damon grabbed my chin in his hand and said, "No pouting allowed on this gorgeous face. We will tell him as soon as we can. But for now, I will just have to make a _lot_ of secret trips to your bedroom. It will be kinky, the thrill of being secret lovers." Damon had a smirk on his face that I absolutely loved and hated at the same time. I knew he had thoughts brewing in his mind and it didn't take long for me to find out what they were. He instantly pounced on me and started kissing me more passionately than ever before. He broke away so that I could catch my breath and began kissing down my neck, repeating over and over how much he loves me in between each kiss.

We got so caught up in each other that we lost track of time, until Jeremy knocked on the door and then opened.

"Whoa. That's something I could have done without seeing." He said with a chuckle as he covered his eyes. Damon jumped off of me and we both straightened out our clothes.

"Sorry Jer. Next time I'll lock the door."

"Gross. We should probably head over to the boarding house. Everyone will be getting there soon." Jeremy headed out the door and down the stairs. I kissed Damon quickly and told him I'd see him soon then I met Jeremy in the car and we were on our way.

As we pulled up to the boarding house, I was feeling incredibly anxious. I was so nervous that Damon or I would slip up and Stefan would figure out our secret. Damon assured me that it would be fine, but I was still dreading the situation. When we walked in to the Boarding House, I saw that everyone else had already arrived. Stefan was instantly at my side.

"Elena! How are you?" He said with a little too much enthusiasm.

"I'm fine Stefan. It's only been a couple hours since I saw you." He leaned in and hugged me which was extremely awkward. I was about to push him away when I locked eyes with Damon. He gave me a slight nod, letting me know this was okay and to just let it be.

After the awkward hello, Damon decided to get things rolling. Of course, using his normal sarcasm. "Let's get this show on the road people. I've got places to be, people to kill." Jeremy let out a chuckle at Damon's comment, which caused the rest of the group to look at him in shock. I had forgotten that no one knew about Damon and Jeremy's newfound friendship yet. Bonnie gave Damon a dirty look and then poke to Jeremy.

"How can you laugh at that Jeremy? Did you forget that Damon _killed you_ not too long ago?" Jeremy started to reply but before he could, Damon interrupted.

"Didn't you know Bonnie? Me, Elena, and Jer are all BFF's now." He looked at me with that sexy smirk and I couldn't help but smile.

"Damon apologized to Jeremy and Jeremy accepted." I told Bonnie, as if that would be explanation enough to move on.

"Oh, so just like that you're all okay with this? Jeremy, how can you forgive him for that? And _Elena_, I thought you _hated_ Damon for this! You said you would never for give him!" I hadn't seen Bonnie so upset in a long time. I didn't even know what to say to make it better. Luckily, Jeremy answered for us both.

"Look Bonnie, we all know Damon has done some messed up things. No one is saying we should just forget about it. But right now we all have the same goal, so we need to stick together. And really, when you get to know Damon he isn't all that bad. Even though he does suck at Vampire Hunter!" That made Damon and I both laugh while everyone else was even more confused. We all stood there in silence for a few moments until Alaric spoke up and got the conversation moving.

"Okay, let's move on. What do we know so far? Katherine is back. There are werewolves in our midst. Well, werewolf now that Damon took care of Mason." With that Alaric shot a glare at Damon.

"Hey, if I didn't kill him, he would have killed me the first chance he got. We're better off without him running around." Damon shrugged, refusing to feel guilty for getting rid of a potential problem.

I tried to get our focus back on Katherine. "We also know that Katherine is intent on getting back together with Stefan." I looked right at him and relayed the message she gave me the other night. "She wants you to know she doesn't take kindly to rejection. And she says you should come see her, that you would know where to find her."

Stefan thought about it for a minute but came up with nothing. "I've barely spoken to her in 150 years, how would I know where to find her?"

"Well obviously it must be a place that has significance to the two of you if she assumes you should know where she is." Damon said, obviously frustrated that we had no leads.

"I really have no clue." Stefan said, looking like he was really racking his brain to come up with an answer.

"So we don't know where she is, that makes things more difficult. However, we still need to come up with a plan for when we do find her. She is apparently immune to vervain so that isn't going to be any use. So it's going to have to be a stake to the heart or get her into the sunlight without her ring." Leave it to Alaric to be the rational one and to keep us all on track.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Oh, great plan teach. Too bad we can't get close enough to her to do either of those things. But thanks so much for stating the obvious."

I stepped in between Alaric and Damon, knowing this exchange was not going to lead into anything productive. "Come on Damon, this isn't helping. Bonnie, could you search through Emily's grimoire for a spell that could help us immobilize Katherine enough to get to her?"

Bonnie sighed. She was clearly torn on whether or not she should be helping vampires. "Yeah, I'll go home and research. I'll let you know if I come up with anything. In the meantime, I found a spell that I can put on each of our houses to keep Katherine out. I have already activated it at my house. I'll do it here and at Elena's house too. Mr. Saltzman, can you stay with Jenna for a few days? The more houses I put the spell on, the weaker it becomes." Alaric agreed to stay with us and Bonnie headed out to get started.

I sighed, frustrated that we couldn't get a better plan in place yet. "I guess that's all we can really do for now. We'll get back together in a few days and hopefully Bonnie will have a spell to help us out by then." With that, everyone went their separate ways. Just as I was about to walk out with Jeremy, Stefan asked if we could talk. I was about to give him some excuse about needing to leave when Jeremy saved the day.

"Sorry Stefan, Elena and I already have plans for the day." And then he grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door before Stefan could object.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

CHAPTER 7

The next few weeks were difficult. I had to pretend like I wasn't dating Damon around everyone except Damon and Jeremy. Even Jenna didn't know the truth. I wanted to tell her so badly, but I knew she would insist that I tell Stefan and since I can't do that yet, I can't tell her yet either. Damon and I still managed to spend quite a bit of time together though. As far as everyone was concerned we were just friends hanging out. It helped that we were all worried about Katherine coming after me because it gave us an extra excuse to be together. I even got him to hang out with a group of my friends a few times so that we could continue the 'friends' charade. Bonnie wasn't happy about this newfound friendship, but with Damon actually being somewhat nice to her she was finally warming up to him just a little. There would be times when I would catch her laughing at a joke he made or engaging him in conversation.

After two weeks of not hearing from Katherine at all, we were all on edge knowing she could pop up at any moment. Bonnie thought she finally had an idea for a spell that may help us. We all met up at the boarding house again to discuss the situation. As soon as everyone arrived, Bonnie launched right into her plan.

"Okay, so I think I found a spell that will paralyze Katherine. Unfortunately it will also affect any other vampires in the vicinity, not just her. So after I begin the spell, it will be up to Alaric, Elena, and Jeremy to take Katherine out. I know it's risky but I think it's the only way." Bonnie seemed so proud of herself to have come up with this idea. Damon was not happy with that plan though.

"Absolutely not. I am not okay with being paralyzed while Elena attempts to take out Katherine. If something happens to Elena I won't be able to, I mean we won't be able to save her." I instantly picked up on his slip and wondered if the others did as well. Luckily, Stefan agreed with him and didn't seem to notice anything strange about the way he said it.

"I agree. If we are doing this, Elena can't be there. She is the one Katherine is targeting so there's no way I can be immobilized while she is in harms way. Katherine always seems to have something up her sleeve so I'm not willing to take that risk."

"Who would have ever thought we'd agree on something, baby brother." Damon said in his typical sarcastic voice. Sometimes his sarcasm really drove me crazy.

Just then a breeze swept through the room and Isobel appeared. Damon instantly started to lunge for her.

"Damon stop, please. Let's at least find out what she wants." I pleaded with Damon. He looked at me for a moment, sighed, and turned his attention to Isobel.

"Fine. What, pray tell, are you doing here Isobel? I'm sure this isn't a leisurely visit. And I'm sure Katherine is behind this."

"Katherine sent me to tell you what she wants. I realized you were having a pow-wow to discuss that exact question, so I thought the dramatic entrance would be fun." She looked directly at me with an evil smile and said, "Elena, I see you are following in Katherine's footsteps. I have to say, I was very surprised at this revelation considering the last time I saw you, you were very insistent that it was you and Stefan _forever_." She did air quotes around forever and rolled her eyes.

As soon as she said this my heart rate sped up and I looked to Damon to see what I should do. Before he could say anything, Stefan spoke up. "What are you talking about Isobel? Elena is nothing like Katherine. We may not be together right now, but we will be in the end. Elena just needed some time alone to adjust to all of this." As he said this, he looked to me and smiled. I felt so awful seeing the hope in his eyes and knowing how clueless he was to the truth.

Isobel let out a loud laugh and turned back towards me. "Well isn't this an interesting turn of events. Do you want to let Stefan in on the secret or should I?" Before I could answer, Damon spoke up.

"Isobel, I made you and I can end you. Stop messing around and tell us what you want, before I drive a stake through your heart."

"Touchy, touchy. Fine, you and Elena can explain to Stefan later. Katherine will definitely be interested to know that he is still in the dark about everything. However, this is irrelevant to my being here. Katherine wants the two of you to stay away from Elena. Well, Stefan more than Damon. You know she doesn't take rejection well, so knowing you have both fallen for Elena and forgotten her is not a good thing. And even though you weren't much more than a plaything to her Damon, she still feels the sting of you moving on. You however, "she looked right at Stefan, "She wants to see you. She still loves you and is ready for the two of you to live out your happily ever after together. You can find her in the crypt under Fells Church." She still had that evil smile on her face, she was loving every minutes of this. How could this woman be my mother? I have never felt so ashamed in my life.

Stefan looked so confused about everything, but when he spoke he had all the conviction in the world that his statements were true. "Isobel, I have no idea what you are talking about. First of all, I do not love Katherine anymore so you can tell her there will be no happily ever after for us. And if she thinks I will stay away from Elena, she is crazy. Elena and I are in love and it is her that I plan to spend my life with." Isobel let out a dry chuckle but Stefan ignored her and continued. "Secondly, I don't know what you are insinuating about Damon and Elena, but I can assure you there is nothing going on between them."

Isobel turned towards Elena once more. "Well, I can see that the three of you have a lot to discuss. I have delivered my message. Katherine will be expecting you Stefan." With that, she was gone and everyone was starting at Elena waiting for an explanation.

"Elena, what is Isobel talking about? Please tell me she is making all of this up. And _you_!" Stefan seethed, turning towards Damon. "I should have known you were up to something. You have been being so nice to me lately, I thought it was strange but I had the misguided hope that you were changing. What have you done? Have you been compelling Elena to spend time with you? Is that why Isobel thinks there is something between you?"

Elena instantly felt anger towards Stefan for blaming this on Damon. She was tired of hearing him bash Damon all the time. Damon started to speak but she interrupted him.

"Stop it Stefan!" Elena said in an extremely annoyed tone that she had never used with him before. Stefan turned towards her with wide, shocked eyes. "I am so sick of you blaming Damon for everything that happens in your life! We were going to wait to tell you this, but I guess it might as well come out now. Damon and I are together Stefan. I love him and he loves me. I know this is going to hurt you, and I'm sorry for that, but it's the way it is. You and I just weren't right for each other. As corny as it sounds, Damon is my soul mate, I know this now."

Everyone gasped and mouths dropped open, except for Jeremy of course. I think Damon was even in shock. I walked over to him, put my hand in his, and turned to the rest of the group. "I'm sorry if any of you have a problem with this. I know Damon hasn't always treated you well. But I love him, and I hope you will all respect that."

Bonnie was the first to speak up. "How could you love him Elena?" she yelled. "He caused my grams death, he fed off Caroline for weeks, he _killed_ your brother for Godsakes!" I began to respond when Jeremy interrupted me.

"Stop it Bonnie. I already told you I forgave Damon, so don't bring me into this. Yes, Damon has done bad things to all of us, and we all have reasons to dislike him."

Damon rolled his eyes and threw in a sarcastic "Stop, you're making me blush at the compliments" I elbowed him and told him to keep quiet. Then Jeremy continued.

"The important thing is that Elena is happy with him. I have never seen her smile and laugh with Stefan the way she does with Damon. No offense dude. But when she is with Damon, she seems truly content. And as her friend, that should be what matters to all of you. And even though Damon has done bad things in the past, he is different with her. You all know he hasn't been killing anyone for some time now. Why do you think that is? It's because he is different with her. You all know he hasn't been killing anyone for some time now. Why do you think that is? It's because he _wants_ to be a better person for Elena. And now that they are together, he isn't going to go back to his old ways. He is a different person now and he deserves a second chance."

When Jeremy finished we all stood there for a minute, in awe of what he had said. I think Damon was the most shocked. He was the first to finally speak up and for once he was being genuine, with no trace of sarcasm at all. "Thanks Jeremy. I love your sister, and I am trying to be different for her. I can't take back the things I did to all of you, but I can try to be better in the future." He paused, then added in his typical Damon-esque way, "And for the fifth time, I'm sorry for the whole breaking your neck thing." Jeremy chuckled and then shook Damon's hand.

Throughout this whole exchange Stefan was silent. He finally turned towards me and quietly said, "How could you do this to me?" and in the next instant he was pinning Damon to the wall. A struggle ensued with lots of furniture being broken. They really should consider getting some more sturdy furniture for this place.

Just as Damon thought he had finally subdued Stefan, Stefan plunged the metal poker from the fireplace into Damon's heart. Everyone gasped and I screamed and ran to Damon's side. I was saying no over and over again. Stefan watched for a moment and then disappeared. I was sobbing next to Damon's lifeless body, while the rest of the group stood in complete silence confused over what had transpired, when I heard a faint whisper come from Damon. I leaned down to hear him better and heard him say pull it out. I didn't even hesitate, I just reached for the poker and pulled it out immediately. As is came out, Damon sucked in a big breath of air. I yelled for someone to get Damon blood and Jeremy took off towards the refrigerator in the kitchen. When he returned, I helped Damon sit up and drink from the bag. After a few minutes the puncture wound in his chest began to heal and I hugged him with all my might, thanking Jeremy and telling Damon everything was going to be all right.

Now that it appeared Damon would be okay, Bonnie began backing towards the door. She said she had to leave and bolted out the front door as fast as her feet would carry her. Caroline soon followed. Alaric finally spoke up.

"Well, I guess our planning session is off for now. I'm going to head back to Jenna's. You want a ride Jeremy?" Jeremy looked towards me to make sure I was okay and I gave him a quick nod. Just as the two were about to walk out of the house, Alaric turned back towards Elena and said, "You're going to need to fill Jenna in on the situation with Damon. She isn't going to be happy about this. She's been thinking for awhile that there was something going on with the two of you. I also think we need to consider telling her about everything else. It isn't fair for her to be completely clueless about everything going on around her." As much as I hated to involve my Aunt in this situation, I knew it had to be done.

"Okay. How about this weekend? The five of us could go to our cabin up north. I'll tell her about Damon and I tonight, and then tomorrow we can head to the cabin and break the rest of the news there. Together." I let out a sign of relief when Alaric agreed.

Alaric and Jeremy left and I turned my attention back to Damon. He was starting to get his normal color back and the hole had completely healed on his chest.

"Are you okay Damon? I was so scared that I had lost you!" I whispered as I took him back in my arms.

"I'm fine. You aren't getting rid of me that easy." He said with a smile. And the next thing I knew he had whisked me up the stairs to his bedroom. This was my first time ever being in his bedroom, and I was in awe. It was so typical Damon. Dark mahogany furniture, black curtains and bedspread with a beautiful gold trim on both. A wall full of books, many that looked hundreds of years old. Damon looked at my awestruck face and chuckled. "Not what you expected?"

"Actually, it's exactly what I expected. Although even more exquisite than I could have even imagined. You never cease to amaze me Damon Salvatore." I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist and stood on my toes to give him a kiss.

"You amaze me too Elena Gilbert. I never thought in my wildest dreams that you would choose me over Saint Stefan. Honestly I never expected anyone to pick me over him, let alone the person I was madly in love with."

"It's always been you Damon. From the moment I met you, I knew there was a connection between us that Stefan and I never had. I fought it for a long time, thinking that Stefan was the safe choice. That he would never hurt me and that I could be happy with him. But I knew it wasn't true. Every moment I spent with you was exciting and exhilarating. I just had a hard time admitting it to myself." With that Damon scooped me up and laid me on the bed. We began kissing, slowly at first but becoming increasingly more passionate. I had a feeling we weren't going to be leaving this room for quite some time.


End file.
